By Kelli Smith
Source The Dallas Morning News
Dallas’ next police chief is Daniel Comeaux, a federal law enforcement leader from Houston who has specialized in drug enforcement for three decades.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert announced Friday that Comeaux beat four other finalists, including interim Chief Michael Igo, to become the Dallas Police Department’s 31st leader. His selection caps a three-month national search to replace former Chief Eddie García, a popular official who left last year for Austin city management.
Comeaux, 55, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. In a city news release, he said he joined police because he “witnessed what can happen to neighborhoods that aren’t safe.”
“At the federal level, I am known as the local cop because of my collaborative approach to tackling crime and my dedication to developing leaders in public safety who are bridge builders for the community,” Comeaux said.
“I am proud that my career in law enforcement has come full circle and look forward to serving alongside the men and women of the Dallas Police Department.”
Comeaux is the third consecutive outsider chosen to lead Dallas police, following García and U. Reneé Hall. He serves as special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Houston Division, where he oversees about 700 agents in 12 offices across Texas, including 645 miles of the U.S.- Mexico border.
He will now manage a $719 million budget as leader of the nation’s ninth largest police department, made up of about 3,100 sworn officers and 600 civilian employees.
His position in Dallas won’t be without immediate challenges. He will face mounting pressure to hire about 900 more officers in adherence to a new city charter mandate. He will be tasked with maintaining declines in violent crime, navigating a $3 billion shortfall in uniformed and civilian pension funds, configuring plans for a new academy for police recruits and balancing community trust with federal and state immigration demands.
Comeaux started his career as a local cop with the Houston Police Department in 1991, then transitioned to the DEA about six years later. He has said his priorities in Dallas would be to enhance recruitment, implement innovative crime-fighting tactics and strengthen public trust.
Originally from Louisiana, Comeaux told The Dallas Morning News during a meet and greet last week he has always wanted to serve in a large city.
“Being a former Houston policeman, I felt like it was a perfect fit for me,” Comeaux said.
He wants to keep violent crime in Dallas down and work on officer morale and internal police culture.
Tolbert made hiring new police and fire chiefs a major priority in her first 100 days as city manager, and their successes or failures will likely be seen as inextricably tied to her leadership.
Her choice of Comeaux, rather than a homegrown commander, indicates substantial change for the police department instead of a continuation of the status quo.
Who is Comeaux?
A 2021 profile in The Houston Chronicle described Comeaux as a baseball fanatic who grew up eyeing a professional career in the sport. After an injury, though, a cop — who was the father of Comeaux’s classmate at Texas State University — encouraged him to become an officer.
Comeaux grew up in a neighborhood that distrusted police, according to the article, but he became intrigued by the prospect. After he joined Houston police, he quickly maneuvered to the narcotics division and “was known for a relentless competitive drive,” the Chronicle reported.
Comeaux left policing to join the DEA because it paid better, the newspaper reported, but he was transferred from Houston to California after his bosses were told a Houston police officer Comeaux had arrested was threatening his life.
Throughout his career, Comeaux has led operations targeting violent crime and drug trafficking in Houston, San Francisco and Los Angeles and is credited with a 40% decrease in overdose deaths in Laredo, according to Dallas officials.
He has experience navigating the media spotlight and is seen as well-connected in Texas.
Multiple Dallas officials and police brass had seen Igo, the interim chief, as the front-runner from the start of the city’s search for a new top cop. Tolbert said at the meet and greet last week that she hoped to name the new police chief by early this week.
Uncertainty grew as days passed without an announcement.
Igo canceled appearances at two public events he was scheduled to attend early in the week. On Thursday, the city announced the new fire chief — Justin Ball, who’d been in the interim role — despite starting that search later than the police chief’s.
Recent months had tested Igo’s public speaking and navigation of City Hall politics and community concerns. He faced scrutiny last month after he said Dallas police are “not assisting any federal agency” in detaining people for immigration violations, which spurred national criticism and a probe by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Igo later clarified that comment.
Comeaux was chosen from 25 applicants, a smaller pool than the 36 in 2020 when García was picked. The finalists Comeaux competed against were Igo, Carrollton Police Chief Roberto Arredondo, former FBI Assistant Director Brian Boetig and Dallas police Assistant Chief Catrina Shead.
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